Zootopia Gone Savage
by The-crazy-lone-wolf77
Summary: Tragedy has struck Zootopia as the entire predator population is suddenly and inexplicably turned savage. Judy finds herself in the now wasteland of a city to try and find answers in hopes to save the city once again, as well as her infected partner.
1. Chapter 1

Judy opened her eyes slightly, waking up from yet another restless night. The repeating hellish dreams that she's been having haven't been treating her kindly lately, but she has gotten used to the lack of sleep by now: she's had to. Getting a full night of sleep isn't something that happens often anymore. As she lied there, she did nothing but stare up at the ceiling with a blank expression for the first few minutes she was awake, going over in great detail everything she had planned for the day; it wasn't anything fun, but it is a necessity to be done if she had any intentions of surviving.

The rabbit swung her legs over the edge of the bed and hopped down, landing with a soft thud. She slowly walked over towards her window, while stretching her stiff muscles, and peeked between the boards she had nailed to her walls. She didn't see anything; everything was peaceful this morning… for now. Judy backed away from the window and walked out her bedroom door, grabbing her backpack on the way out. She stopped for a second and looked over at the room to her left; she went to take a step towards it out of habit, but stopped herself. _Not yet_ , she told herself _, I don't want to wake him._ She stood still for a moment with her eyes closed as she composed herself; nothing ever has been the same since IT happened. She shook her head and cleared her thoughts, she needed to get going and thinking of the past wasn't doing her any favors. What's done is done, and now all she can do is hope she'll make it through alive.

She walked from her room to the kitchen and grabbed herself a few granola bars for breakfast, then packed her bag with some water bottles. She planned for this to be another long day of scavenging and looting for necessary supplies that would help them survive this nightmare. And, as always, she hoped to find some answers, and maybe any others out there who are in the same boat as her.

Walking over to her door, she got herself ready to leave. She slung her backpack across her shoulders and synched the straps on tightly. When she got to the door it took her a couple seconds to undo all the locks- you can't be too safe in this world- before she opened the door and peeked into the halls. Being cautious is the only way to survive long out here. As she looked both ways she grabbed her tranque gun from the table next to the door, then advanced out of the apartment when she saw the coast was clear. This was a rare day where everything was calm and quiet, she hasn't always been so lucky.

Judy hustled her way out of the building, needing to get going to be able to do all she wanted for the day. She walked out of the building and onto the street, quickly scanning the area while raising her ears listening for any sounds that could mean danger. Her ear twitched and Judy whipped her head to the right; it was subtle, but she definitely heard something from over there. She bit her lip in annoyance, that's the way she had planned on going today. Now, she could risk it by going that way and hope she'd be lucky enough to avoid whatever was over there, but risks usually equal death. She'd just have to improvise by going the other way, there were other places she could find what she needed. Judy turned left and started running down the street. There was a grocery store this way that would hopefully have some food. After that she'd have to figure out where else to go. The second half of her plans for the day could only be done if she went right; instead now she would have to wait for another day to get there. Sure she could try and get there from this way, but it would be night long before she got back to the apartment.

It was always weird to her, running down the streets, and them being completely barren of any activity. Cars were abandoned, shops deserted, and homes vacant. It was saddening to see Zootopia like this: a place where life used to thrive, where animals lived ordinary lives, and where everything was so much more simple. Now they were forced to live in this shithole.

After running for nearly an hour, Judy came upon a store that she hadn't yet scavenged from. Hopefully no one else had been here yet either. That had happened a time or two before, and she hadn't been the happiest about it. It was an absolute waste of time, and time is everything.

She ran across the parking lot, keeping her head on a swivel to make sure nothing was around stalking her or going to attack her. Judy was so focused on her other surroundings that she didn't notice what was on the ground right in front of her. She tripped over something and fell hard to the ground, skidding forward a few feet. She seethed and looked down at her arms and paws, silently cursing seeing the road rash she got. She glance back over towards what she tripped over and immediately she turned pale, instinctively grabbing her tranquilizer.

The bunny picked herself up and slowly walked over to reason she tripped, coming upon the corpse of an antelope. The worst thing about it is that it looks like a fresh kill. Had she not worked on the force for so many years, seeing this kind of stuff on a regular basis, she would have thrown up. The chest and stomach areas were torn open and his insides eaten. She'd seen others like this, but never this fresh. It got her fur to stand up and her hear rate increase. _Alright, don't panic_ , she told himself, _just get the supplies and get out_. Judy turned from the body and did a quick scan of the area, listening and looking for anything that could be a threat. After feeling safe enough, she took off towards the store.

The bunny quietly slipped into the store through the main entrance, which funnily enough was the only thing not broken. All the windows on the storefront had been shattered by looters. Judy kept low to the ground and treaded lightly, not wanting to alert anything that might be potentially lurking in the building. It wasn't that big, only a small market, but that didn't necessarily matter. All she needed was some food and water, and perhaps something else that could prove useful in the future. She was on high alert, swiftly and carefully moving up and down the aisles wanting to get out of there as fast as possible, the knowledge of something being nearby driving her. So far she wasn't having any luck with food, but she wasn't planning on leaving without getting something.

She was searching through some shelves, climbing up and down them to be as thorough as possible not wanting to miss any potential scrap of food. That's when she heard the sound of claws scratching on tile a few aisles down. Judy immediately froze with fear, holding her breath and trying to stay as calm as possible. She had no idea what it was, so it's possible she could outrun it if she had to; hopefully it wouldn't come down to that. Apart of her wanted to stay there and wait it out hoping that it would just leave, but she had already wasted enough time. She wanted to get to at least one more store before heading back home, so waiting wasn't an option. Taking a deep breath, the bunny started walking again, this time being a little slower so she didn't alert whatever was in here with her. Stepping cautiously through each aisle, she started looking a little faster and more frantically when the sounds of the claws tapping on the floor grew more frequent.

Judy knew she was getting closer to whatever was in here as the sound grew louder, and she also started hearing the heavy breathing of the predator. She peeked down the next aisle and sucked in her breath. Down in the middle of the aisle, tearing into some bags of food, was a tiger. She whipped back around the corner to avoid being detected. The bunny doesn't ever think she'll get used to feral look in their eyes. It terrified her back all those years ago, and it still does today. Though, it wasn't really the eyes that were scaring her right now, it was the blood covering its muzzle that really made her blood run cold. _Guess I found out what got that antelope_. She would have left it alone and been on here way; however, the place where the tiger decided to place itself is the only place she's seen food in this entire place and it was devouring all the food over there. Judy instantly knew what she had to do, but she didn't like the plan. She quickly looked around trying to find something to throw and distract the beast. It only took a few seconds for her to see an empty can lying a few feet away. She reached out and grabbed it, took a short look to see the tiger again, then chucked the can to the other side of the store. She peeked around the corner with hopes it would take the bait, and much to her pleasure the sound of the can bouncing around on the floor caught the attention of the tiger. It turned away from her and began walking over towards the sound. Judy waited until he was completely out of sight before sprinting over towards the food and stuffing all the food into her backpack that was untouched; which honestly wasn't all that much. The bunny kept gazing up to make sure the tiger wasn't coming back yet, and luckily it seemed to be too preoccupied with the can she threw.

After packing all the food, she hurried and zipped up her backpack then proceeded to make a quick exit. She didn't want to be in there with that feral predator any longer than she had to be. It was still a risk, because now there was a chance it would have her scent. Her problems would come from the tiger later if he started tracking and stalking her. It was a real problem considering she still had at least one more place she wanted to raid. Fortunately, there was another store only a few minutes from here. She'd get all she could from there, then head back home for the day.

She only stopped for a moment, slowing down to walk as she passed by the corpse lying in the parking lot. This is what life is now in Zootopia, and it sucks. Judy gave one last look back at the antelope before taking off down the street. She now needed to be even more careful out in the open, because where there is one predator there is bound to be more around, especially with a bloody corpse nearby. There are sure to be scavengers around.

Going at an even quicker pace than before, Judy raced towards the next store. This would be her last stop for the day, then she would be heading home and restocking with what she's found today. She didn't really stop to check what she grabbed back from the other store, but she's sure it was a bunch a bags of chips and other snack items. A few months ago she wouldn't even thought of touching the unhealthy things, but now you have to take what you can get and not complain.

It wasn't as far from her as the first store from her apartment, so it took a lot less time to reach it. In only about ten minutes she was already walking in through the doors. This was a lot less like a supermarket, and more of a pharmacy; but there's a possibility that food is in here so it was good enough. Luckily, she didn't hear anything walking through the store this time, so her searching was a lot more peaceful and extensive. The bunny felt like she had hit the jack-pot with this place; it had hardly been touched. The place must have gotten a large shipment before everything happened because it was stock-full of everything. The most important things she got was a ton of water and canned food. "Praise the lord," she whispered to herself, smiling fondly as she stuffed her pack full of food, drinks, and a some medical supplies.

Judy packed as much as she could carry, happy with her current takeaway. Feeling fulfilled with her day, she slung the bag over her back and exited the store. It was going to be a bit slower on her way back, all the extra weight would be slowing her down slightly. The worse thing that could happen to her in this situation would be if a predator saw her…

Judy came to a hard stop and frantically looked around at the sudden sound of vicious growling and snarling. _Son of a_ … Coming right towards her in the direction she was heading is the same tiger she had encountered back from the first store she raided; she could tell from the blood covering its maw. She knew getting that food was a risky move, she knew there was a chance the tiger would catch a whiff of her scent, and she knew there was a chance that this exact thing would happen.

Fortunately, this seemed to be the only predator around which made it a little easier to form an escape plan in her mind; however, it was still going to be very difficult getting around the beast, especially with all the food on her back. If she got rid of that, it would make this a hundred percent easier to deal with. But this was necessary supplies for her survival, and there was no way she was just going to set it aside, at least not until it was absolutely necessary.

Judy tested the reactions of the tiger, walking from side to side seeing how it would react. It followed her every move; where she went it went. She could use this. If she could get the tiger to overcommit in perusing her, she could juke out of the way and take off down the street. Starting from one side of the street, she dashed over towards the other getting the beast to snarl and Sprint towards her. The bunny gave a sly grin, _perfect_!

Just at the moment the tiger lunged for it's afternoon snack, Judy planted her foot and jumped back in the opposite direction, narrowly avoiding the large claws intended to tear her to pieces. As soon as she made contact with the ground again she sprinted down the street, needing to get back to the apartment as soon as possible. However, now she has a bit of an obstacle to overcome. The tiger wasn't going to be shaken off that easily. Releasing an annoyed growl, he turned around to see the bunny running down the road. He followed Judy with his eyes for a second, before starting to chase after her.

Judy gave a quick glance behind her to see where her pursuer was, her heart sinking slightly as she saw how much ground he had already made up on her. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to outrun the predator, so she was going to have to try and outsmart it somehow. The fortunate thing about animals going savage is that they may have enhanced physical abilities, but they lose most of their intelligence; having nothing left but primal instincts.

Judy scanned around, trying to look for anything that might give her the upperpaw against the tiger. For a split second she thought to the gun clipped to her side, but she didn't think this would be the right time to use it. She only has a limited supplies of darts with her, so she has to be sparing with them. Judy would definitely use it if she thought there was no way to escape, but she's confident enough with herself and her abilities that she'll be able to get away.

Time for thinking was running short as the tiger gained even more ground on the bunny, starting to set a panic for her. Judy wasn't seeing anything to aid in her escape and the beast was nearing pouncing distance. She was running out of options and had to make a last second decision that she wasn't really happy about; she was taking a gamble hoping that it would pay off. She quickly redirected her path to where she was going down an alleyway, but this did not detour the predator from his chase.

Upon entering the alley, Judy immediately looked up hoping for there to be a fire escape, or at least some sort of ledge she could jump up to. Fortunately, she saw exactly what she was looking for; about fifty feet away from her was a fire escape with a dumpster nearby below it that she could use to jump up. Pushing one last burst of speed, Judy sprinted over to the dumpster, jumped onto the lid and used that to propel herself up to the fire escape. It wasn't until she was halfway through her jump that she realized that she had greatly miscalculated the height of the fire escape, and also forgot to factor in the extra weight she was carrying on her back. She extended her paws high into the air and was just able to grab onto the edge. Judy looked down to see where the tiger was, only to see it looking up at her as it circled below. The bunny quickly pulled herself up, not wanting to risk staying in that position for too long.

When she thought she was safe, she gazed back down at what wanted to eat her. The tiger only stared up at her with hunger in its eyes. He let out a frustrated growl before turning around and walking out and away from the alley. Once she saw that it was gone, Judy collapsed onto the hard metal, panting heavily from the chase. She wasn't going to lie, that was the closet she had come to becoming a snack. A feeling of frustration starting to build in her chest, soon replaced with helplessness. She wanted to cry, to let out all her emotions, but there was no time for that. She shoved her feelings to the back of her mind, bottling them up just as she has with most things since the outbreak.

Judy waited for about half an hour before she climbed down from the fire escape, feeling it would be safe enough to travel again. She made her way down the alley to the main road and took a look around to see if there was anything waiting for her. She didn't see or hear anything near her which was a good sign. All she could see was an abandoned street. Taking a few more looks both ways, making sure there was nothing, she walked onto the street and began running back towards her apartment.

Everything was going fine on her way back, nothing jumping out at her. It was mostly uneventful which was fine with her considering what she just went through. It wasn't until she was only five minutes from home that a noise caught her attention. Her first instinct was to start to run faster, but something caused her to stop. She looked down a side street where she heard the noise come from to see a pleasant surprise. About 200 feet away from her was another animal, but it wasn't a predator this time. It was a prey, more specifically a horse. He seemed to also notice the bunny in front of him and stopped. Their eyes met and it was like a spark of hope lit up in the two. The horse took a few steps forward, and Judy almost took a step to meet him halfway, but that wasn't going to happen.

Only a few steps in, from out of seemingly nowhere, a pack of six wolves jumped to the street and surrounded the horse. He let out a terrified screech and immediately looked for a way out, but there was no escape. In a matter of seconds the wolves began pouncing on the horse, biting at his neck, throat, and arms and legs; taking him to the ground and started eating him before he was even dead. Judy could still hear his screams as they tore into his stomachs and began devouring his insides. She looked on with terror as the first non-savage animal she's seen in weeks was being eaten. As she stared, one of the wolves looked up at her and cocked his head. Judy took that as a sign to leave.

 _What are the odds_ , Judy wondered to herself as she walked into her building. Fortuently, nothing had followed her here, so she was able to walk to her room in peace. _I find another non-savage after weeks of not seeing anyone, and within seconds he's ripped to shreds._ She sighed to herself as she got to her door, taking out a key and opening up her room. She closed the door softly and put on all the locks. She then set her pistol back on the small table and walked over into the kitchen. "It's like life's mocking me," Judy whispered frustratingly to herself as she unpacked her bag, putting all the food and drinks away, then taking all the medical supplies she picked up and putting it into a closet near her bathroom.

It was nearly five in the afternoon by the time she had done everything. Feeling exhausted, she plopped down onto her couch. She took a few deep breaths, trying to compose herself from everything that happened today. It has definitely been one of the worse days she's had out here. She could start to feel herself slipping away, not being able to take it anymore. Life out here was starting to take it's toll and she needed to get out. Too bad it's not as easy as jumping on a train anymore.

Judy shook her head and snapped out of it. She needed to keep strong because she didn't know how much longer she would be out here. It could range anywhere from days to months. Hopefully they'll figure everything out before it's too late.

The bunny didn't stay seated for long, still having one more responsibility she was going to have to take care of before she goes to bed. It pained her every time she did this. She sighed as she grabbed a can of beans from the kitchen, opening it before walking towards the bedroom down from hers. It was always a gamble going in, never knowing which one she was going to get. She stopped at the door for a moment and prepared herself; it took her a few moments of deep breathing before she was ready. Judy raised her paw up and knocked on the door, waiting for a response. What she got was a low groan, followed by a few grumbled words. A wave of relief hit her and she opened the door up to the room.

What was in from of her was always hard to look at, mostly because it was her that put him there. At the far side of the room propped up on the bed was Nick; however he didn't look like his normal self. His clothes had been torn, his fur stained and matted making it seem as though he hasn't showered in a long time. Then there was the thing that always pained Judy to see: the fox was cuffed to the bed frame by each paw, which restricted any type of movement with his arms.

Nick eyes had been closed when she first opened the door, he was lying like he was in some kind of stasis; however, the sounds of Judy walking in got him to look up and smile softly at the bunny.

"Back from your run already? It seems earlier than usual," Nick pointed out.

"Yah, I wasn't able to do all that I wanted," she said, sitting in the chair next to the bed. Judy started feeding Nick the beans which was always awkward, but it needed to be done. Nick noticed that Judy was avoiding eye contact with him, which really could mean only one thing. Every time it happens, she acts like this.

Nick pressed his ears to his head, "It happened again yesterday, didn't it?" He said in a hushed voice as he looked solemnly down. The lack of an answer was enough to confirm his suspicions. His body sagged to the bed, getting the cuffs to pull tightly at his wrists, but he'd gotten used to that feeling; besides, that pain couldn't compare to how he was feeling.

"I'm sorry," he whispered somberly.

"You know it's not your fault, Nick. You can't help it when it happens." Judy defended, not wanting Nick to blame himself, because she knows the path he'll go down if he wallows too much in self pity.

"I know, but still!" he clenched his fists in frustration, "going savage and having no recollection of what happens, it's terrifying. What happens if I wake up and I'm not in the bed and you're nowhere in sight? I hate it," he sighed.

"I know," Judy placed on paw on the foxes chest, which was rare these days. She's not going to lie, she's been afraid of going bear Nick ever since the outbreak. He is an odd case not always being in a savage state of mind, but that made him all the more terrifying. Judy never knew when she would get Nick, or a feral fox chained to a bed. Yesterday was one of the days Nick was not Nick.

"That's why I won't stop until I find answers and hopefully a cure," she declared.

"I really hope you do," Nick said, "I really hope you do."

* * *

 **Good day everyone, bet some of you are a bit surprised to see me already up with a new story, considering I just finished my last. I've actually had this story in the works for about a month, working on it as I wrote my other story. I'm realising this chapter with no promises of another one, it all depends on the feedback I get, so I hope you like it.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has read. I really appreciate comments in letting me know what you think. I'll take most forms of advice, and I love knowing how I can improve.**

 **Keep On Keeping on**

 **Peace Out**


	2. Step 1

It was like any other day, maybe a little more boring than usual. The day was moving slower than Judy would have liked; of course days full of filling out paperwork usually tended to be a bore. However, the work needed to be done and there was unfortunately no way around it.

Judy sat in the cubicle that had been meant for a much larger animal than herself, but that only made it so she and Nick were able to share it (it made it a lot easier when they needed to compare notes over cases) the space being big enough to fit desks in for both of them. She glanced over at her partners desk and sighed a little; Nick was out sick today which left the bunny doing all the paperwork. She swears he was skipping today for that reason, but on the chance he actually was sick she hoped he would get better soon. This would be a lot more bearable if he was here with her. He's always able to lighten up the mood and make the most boring days into ones that will be unforgettable. Nick doesn't do well in boring situations, so he tends to make his own entertainment which is always fun to watch even if he sometimes takes things a little to far- like when he decided to play a 'little' prank on the chief. The two of them had parking duty for a month, but as Nick said "It was all worth it!"

Judy gazed down at the time on her computer and saw that her day was coming to an end. All she had to do was complete this final report and then she would be able to go home for the day. Well, she was actually planning on going over to Nicks to check up on him, then she'd head home and turn in for the night. She started typing slightly quicker to get done faster, wanting this day to just be over so she could leave. It took her around ten more minutes until she finished, sighing happily as she finished up the report and sent it in. She pushed on her desk, sending her and her chair rolling across her cubicle and jumped off when she got to the end.

Judy was already in her street cloths, not having to change into her uniform because she wasn't on assignment, so she was able to just leave the precinct without any hassle of changing or putting away of her equipment.

"Heading home for the day?" Judy turned to see the overweight cheetah, Ben, smiling down at her as she walked past the front desk.

"Actually I'm going to go and see Nick, check up on him to see just how sick he is," Judy replied.

"You seem a little skeptical of Nick," Ben laughed.

"When you work with the fox for two years, you learn to be skeptical of everything he does," Judy giggled, "Its either that or you'll find yourself in the receiving end of one of his practical jokes."

"Oh, we're all very familiar with that," Ben rolled his eyes, he himself getting pranked by his fox coworker. "Well you go have fun, just not too much," He winked. Judy gave a sideways glance at the cheetah, not amused with his joke. For some reason, him and a few others tend to think her and Nick are a couple, or at least would make a great one. She was inclined to disagree, though it would always get her wondering how a romantic relationship between her and Nick would be like. She had never dated outside her own species, always going out with other rabbits, and she doesn't really know all that much about Nick's personal life before she met him; so she's not entirely sure just how successful a relationship between them would go. Even if they aren't romantically together, the two of them are still best friends. Ever since Nick graduated the academy and became her partner on the force, the two had grown a solid friendship. They tend to see each other a lot more then just during work, hanging out a lot after work and during their days off. Judy saw Nick as her best friend, and she'd say Nick is pretty fond of her as well, so maybe dating each other isn't as farfetched as she might think.

"Yah, yah, yah," she waved Ben off, "See you tomorrow Benjamin."

"Bye Judy," he waved, followed by going back to his phone and watching whatever the latest is on Gazelle.

Judy exited the precinct, hopping down the stairs then turning towards Nicks apartment, walking with a bounce in her step. It seemed no matter how bad or boring the days got, Judy always seemed to be in a positive mood. There are very few situations that can break her spirit, most of them she hoped would never happen.

It was when Judy had gotten about halfway to Nicks apartment when everything started to go wrong. The bunny was walking next to a flower shop, stopping for only a moment to enjoy the fragrance of the flowers (It reminded her of home back on the farm) taking in a big whiff of the sweet smells. It put her in an even better mood, the bad memories of hours spent sitting at a desk were swept away as she found a moment of peace. The sound of explosions knocked her out of that feeling.

It was distant, but still very audible. Judy turned to the sound of the sudden explosion, a sense of panic swelling in her chest. Distant screams could be heard and smoke stared rising above be the buildings. "That can't be good," Judy mumble to herself, readying herself to run over there; unfortunately, that wasn't the end. In fact, it was only the beginning of a chain of explosions.

It was only ten seconds after the first initial blast when explosions started erupting everywhere around the city. Judy could hear the sounds of bombs going off all around her to the point where the sound became unbearable. She grasped her ears in pain and fell to her knees. It was like she had suddenly been placed in a war zone as buildings began to topple over. The sound of screaming almost matched that of the explosions.

As quickly as it started, everything seemed to be over. Judy looked up in fear and glanced around her surroundings. It was hard to see anything at the moment due to the dust from the collapsing buildings, but what she could tell is that there was a structure that had been blown to bits only about a hundred yards in front of her. Judy picked herself up from the ground and looked into the sky, seeing giant puffs of black smoke collecting in the once blue sky. Everything seemed so surreal at the moment, and it took her a minute to process all of what just happened. _What is this, some kind of terrorist attack?_ It was the only thing she could think of that made sense at the moment.

Judy shook off the shell-shock and quickly went into officer mode. She needed to get to the nearest bombing sights and start looking for survivors; Nick would have to wait… if he's even still alive. She pushed that thought aside, not wanting to think like that.

The rabbit began heading to the toppled building straight in front of her when suddenly a strange yet familiar scent found its way to Judy's nose. She knew that she knew It from somewhere, but she couldn't quite place her paw on it. That was then she started to notice something strange, where she would witness when this all began. She had been going against crowds of animals running from the explosions and the most peculiar thing started to happen; every predator she saw all simultaneously started falling to the ground convulsing, and foaming from the mouth. The sight brought back memories to when she visited the puma limo driver, Mr. Manchas, back during her first case… and it was then that the smell suddenly made sense. It was the same thing she smelled back in that train cart, where the Nighthowler lab was set up.

Judy's eyes became wide in realization, her heart rate increasing to alarming levels. This was a worst case scenario situation. Nighthowlers somehow being released on a large scale. Her first guess was that the bombs had something to do with it, but she couldn't be sure about it yet. Forget the bomb sights, Judy knew she needed to get to safety. If she stayed out in the open for too long she would, without a doubt, get torn to shreds. Her first though was to go back to her house, but she still needed to check up on Nick and he was closer anyway. Maybe the Nighthowler hadn't affected him, at least she could hope. The rabbit took off in a full sprint hoping to get to Nick before anything bad happened to him.

Judy blinked her eyes open, waking up from her dream, or more specifically a memory. This was the only thing she seemed to dream about anymore. She's just glad it didn't get to the end this time, because that's where her bad dream turns into a full blown nightmare. Her thoughts caused her to instinctively reach to her body and feel her chest, seething slightly at the touch. The memories of that day are always painful, so many bad things happened in such a short time. It has been the hardest thing she has ever done, to adapt to this new life. It was harder than school, harder than farming, harder than the academy, and harder than any case she had ever worked on. In the early days of this hellstorm, there were times where she thought she couldn't do it, having thoughts of giving up, but then she thought about everything she was giving up on. This city needs someone out here trying to find answers as well as a cure.

The first step of that started today. Judy jumped up and out of her bed, walking straight to the kitchen to prepare for her day. She had planned on going there yesterday, but made a last second decision and changed her plans due to the threat of a savage lurking around in that direction. Today, however, nothing was going to stop her. No matter what, she was going to get to the First Precinct. She hoped to find some answers there, as well as gather some supplies. The station was full of emergency supplies such as medicine and food; she'd also be able to stock up on tranquilizer darts. Among that, Judy also hoped that there would be some survivors gathered in there, possibly a couple other officers: that would definitely get her to smile if she saw some familiar faces.

Judy went through her usual morning routine, gathering up everything she felt like she needed for her trip to the precinct; although she would need to pack light so she could grab ad much as she could. She packed a few extra items just in case things went south, and for whatever reason she felt like she would need them. She got done and slung her backpack across her back, ready to head out. Before she left, however, Judy felt compelled to look over at Nicks door. She usually wouldn't bother him this early in the morning, he sleeps a lot these days so she doesn't want to disturb him, but the urge to say goodbye became somewhat overpowering. Before she changed her mind Judy went over to his room and slowly opened the door. She looked over at the fox who was fast asleep. Minus the handcuffs, the rabbit has to admit he looks cute when he sleeps. Judy was going to wake him up, but Nick looked so peaceful as he slept so she decided not to. She walked up to the side of his bed and placed her paws gently on his arm, grasping him softly.

"I'm finally heading back over to the precinct today, and I wanted to come and say goodbye," she whispered to the sleeping fox, "In case something goes wrong I just want you to know that I, I..." Judy paused and stopped talking for a moment. "I really care about you, and I will do anything and everything I can to cure you." She heard him mumble something in his sleep, but couldn't quite understand it. Judy sighed as she thought back to the good old days before the infection, before everything was plunged into hell; she misses hanging out with Nick the most. Now she has him chained to a bed, hoping everyday that she doesn't find the fox savage, and dreading the day when he doesn't turn back to normal.

"Goodbye, Nick," she murmured before leaning up to Nick and giving him a small kiss on the cheek. Nick stirred slightly in his sleep, but quickly returned to normal. She faced away from him and walked out from the room. Now she needed to focus on the task at paw: getting to the precinct. Judy grabbed her tranque gun and holstered it, then unlocked her door and began her journey to Precinct 1.

Her walk down to the first floor and out the front doors was uneventful as usual, which she didn't see as a bad thing. She didn't even wait to scan her surrounding before turning right and starting to run down the road. She knew if she heard anything down this way that she'd have an internal argument with herself if it was worth it risking her life to go this way. She doesn't have time for that; Judy wants to get there and get back as soon as possible. Judy guessed that if everything went as planned with no obstacles, then she could get back at least two hours before sundown. She figured, however, that something is bound to go wrong so she figured she'd be home about half an hour before sundown. You don't want to be out after that, because if you are you won't last very long. That's when most savages come out and do their hunting. Nothing gets your heart pumping more than looking our your window and seeing a swarm of feral predators in the street tearing into their latest victim.

She hadn't been back to the precinct in about a month, and hadn't actually been back this way for the same amount of time; not being here since the day all this startrd. She had been purposefully avoiding this for a reason. She knew that once she got back that she'd have to face everything that has happened. The bunny hoped for their to be some survivors taking refuge in the secure building, wishing to see some of her fellow officers again; it would definitely be a sight for soar eyes.

Judy ran down a few blocks before turning left. The place is around 15 miles away from where Nick lives, and she has ran about a half mile in 2 minutes, so theoretically she would reach her destination in about an hour. That would be the case if, of course, there wasn't a giant building lying in the street. Once Judy rounded the corner she came to a hard stop and looked in disbelief at the structure blocking her path. _Seriously? Damn you Murphey,_ she inwardly sighed, followed by a few mumbled words that would not be appropriate for kids to hear. That had definitely not been there a month ago. Though she remembers passing a building that had been damaged in an explosion; this must be that place. There wasn't really any easier way to get to the precinct other than down this way, every other way would probably still take longer than if she just went straight through the rubble. So instead of finding a different rout, the bunny decided to just make her way through the wreckage.

The building itself was actually mostly in-tact. It's just that the upper half of it was spread out across the entire street. She hoped no one was in it, or in its vicinity when it went; they probably would not have survived. Judy walked right up to the structure and started assessing the situation. It was too big to just jump up on it and walk across, and there was no way to get around; the only way she would be getting to the other side would be to walk through it. Lucky for her, there were plenty of shattered windows for her to climb through. Judy looked and found the window that looked the safest to climb through then entered the building. She immediately regretted her choice of room at the smell the sudden smell that defiled her nose. The place looked like it used to be some sort of office building before it's destruction, and she was stood on a wall in an office. However, her first impressions of the place aren't all that great as the smell of death radiated through the room. Whether it was from being in the building during the explosion, or from a savage, she was unclear; but she isn't really interested in finding out. Exploring stopped being an option as soon as the building around her started creaking; she felt like everything was going to collapse in around her at any moment which put her more on edge than usual. She wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, not wanting to be a Judy sandwich.

Judy maneuvered her way over and around destroyed desks and toppled furniture, and having to step over the occasional body. She picked up her pace ever time the building swayed, seeming like it would give in on its own weight at any moment. The building was quite large, making it a long trip across that was extremely unnerving. Her nerves settled as soon as she stepped foot back onto the street and out of that death trap. Judy didn't stay standing for long, though, and again began running towards the precinct, quickening her fast paced run to more of a sprint. That place put her slightly behind schedule, so she needed to make up some lost time.

Everything went a little more smoothly after she passed through the building, all she needed to do was keep running and hope to not bump into anymore problems. She would hear a few sounds in alleys or buildings every now and then, but she chose to ignore them and continued forward hoping that whatever was causing the ruckus wouldn't pay any attention to her.

She had to say, running down this way was like running down memory lane, except everything was destroyed. It seemed the closer she got to the center of the city the more destroyed it appeared. Faces of buildings were destroyed, vehicles were toppled over and blown up, and the worst of it was the carcasses littered around the streets. Never in her month of scavenging through the city has she seen so many dead bodies. A lot of them were charred and unrecognizable, while others had been torn into from savages. It was a gruesome sight to behold, and everywhere she looked sent a chill down her spine; it put a kick in her step as she picked up her speed.

It wasn't until Judy made it to the final street when she started to swell up with excitement. As she stared down the long street, she could see the Precinct off in the distance. This has been the closest she's gotten to making any progress with getting answers. If she couldn't find anything there, then she had no idea where to look from there. It almost seemed to good to be true as she got closer and closer to the building. She began going into a full on sprint when she was only a couple hundred yards out. It was so close to her, and yet it seems life had other plans for her. As she was about to reach the steps of the building, a pack if wolves walked out from a parallel street and spotted her darting towards the building. Judy wanted to believe she could make it in through the front doors before they reached her, but she was wrong. They cut her off only a few feet from the steps. The lack of seven wolves growled and snarled at the little bunny, licking their lips for their afternoon snack.

Only one thought crossed her mind as she looked between the wolves and the building behind them. "Damnit."

* * *

 **i wasn't planning on getting that intonthia story due to a limited time frame I have to finish this, however I just have so many ideas I have for this, and since I basically have unlimited time on my hands until I leave I've decided to work on chapters and release them as fast as possible. The only problem I see with this is that the quality may not be the best, though I will still try my best, but I really want to finish this before it's too late.**

 **Thanks to everyone who favorited, followed, and commented on the first chapter, y'all are the best.**

 **Keep on Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


	3. Run For Your Life

From what Judy could tell as she faced the pack of wolves, she had two options to pick from. Either, one, she could play it safe and hope that, by some miracle, she would be able to outrun the hungry predators. Or their was option number two, which means throwing all caution to the wind and doing all she can to get into the building that's only a couple dozen feet away from were she stood. She could see the doors from where she was as they taunted her with just how close they are. The second option was so tempting as she wanted nothing more than be in the confines of the precinct walls. She tempted a step forward, but everything logical about the situation screamed at her to run. In the end, that's the option she chose.

She had been so distracted with her thoughts that Judy hadn't even noticed the wolves starting to advance towards her. It caught her slightly off guard and she suddenly snapped back to reality, gaining her senses back. She might have been able to get around one of them, but getting passed six would be nearly impossible. Before any of the hungry savages took another step forward, Judy turned tail and booked it back in the direction she came from. It pained her to do it, but she figured it would be more painful feeling the teeth of those wolves digging into her flesh.

Judy initially had a decent lead over them, but they were quick to catch up to her. Before they turned savage, the rabbit would have been able to outrun them in her sleep; however, the effects of the Nighthowler drug drastically increased physical performance of every predator affected by it. This allowed the wolves to catch up to Judy without a problem. Again, the bunny found herself looking for anything that could possibly help her in this situation, so far she saw nothing. A sudden nip at her heels caused her to jump forward in panic and gained a sudden burst of speed, fueled by nothing but pure adrenaline, fear, and the will to live.

Not having much of an option, Judy made a sudden turn and sprinted down a nearby alleyway. She hoped to use the same tactics that she used on the tiger from yesterday, looking up for a fire escape to jump up to. Much to her disappointment, there wasn't a fire escape in sight, and though the wolves had been confused at first, they quickly recovered and were hot on her heels once again.

Things were looking quite grim in her current situation and her options were dwindling to nothing. In front of her was a fence with a gap in the corner of it that she could slip through and that could potentially give her a bigger lead, but they would undoubtedly catch up to her again. There was no hiding from them either because of their great sense of smell which took away that plan. That left only one other thing she could do. Feeling for the gun at her side, Judy figured this would be the best time to use it considering the dire situation. She could get through the fence which would force them to funnel through one at a time; the only problem was that she only has five darts and there are six of them. If she was able to successfully tranquilize five if them, she'd still have one of them to worry about. It wasn't perfect, but it's the best she could do; and she'd happily take only being chased by one wolf rather than six.

Narrowly avoiding another attempt at biting her, Judy dove through the small opening just in time. She rolled forward a few feet before coming to an abrupt stop as she slammed into a wall opposite of the fence. Immediately upon stopping, Judy unholstered her gun and aimed towards the hole, and just in time. Just as she raised the tranque up the first wolf was already done crawling through. Judy pulled the trigger and watched the dart fly towards its target, hitting the lupine with an audible 'thud'. The wolf snarled and reeled back from being shot; it stumbled around for a few seconds trying to bite at the dart, before ultimately dropping to the ground. One down, four to go, Judy smiled. Then it's time to run for my life again, she reminded herself.

The others stopped for a moment to study their fallen packmate, but it must of not bothered them that much since they began crawling through the fence again. They did this one by one, and every time one got through she would shoot them and watch as they collapsed to ground. It was too easy, like shooting fish in a barrel; she thought wolves were smarter than this. As she was about to shoot her last dart, the sound of light steps from behind caught her attention. Her ears perked up in alarm and she tensed up as she realized what was going on. Their was only one wolf stood in front of her and she still has a dart left, which left one of the savages unaccounted for. However, she had a feeling she knew where he was.

Flipping her position to the side, Judy glanced in the direction of the steps. As she expected, the other wolf had looped around to try and flank her. Thank goodness for her good hearing or she would undoubtedly been killed by him.

Noticing that he had been spotted, the wolf stopped stalking and began sprinting towards her with his mouth open wide. Judy had to react lightning quick as she raised her gun and shot just as the canine pounced at her. As the hound came flying at her, the rabbit knew she had no way of dodging it in time so she braced herself for the impact of the large beast. The wolf slammed into her and Judy rolled onto her back, going with the impact of the blow then using her powerful legs to send him flying behind her at the other wolf. Luckily, the tranquilizer had knocked him out just in time so it was all just dead weight.

That was thrilling, Judy breathed out as she dusted herself off. She looked towards the only conscious wolf left who was currently picking himself off the ground from having his friend kicked over at him. Judy thought it would probably be best if she left before the wolf recovered. Taking a deep breath, the bunny bounded off down the way the wolf tried to flank her. Now Judy needed to really find somewhere safe. She wouldn't be able to outrun the savage for long, and hiding would be practically impossible with the wolves heightened sense of smell. She was all out of plans, what she needs right now is some sort of miracle.

Just as the bunny predicted, the wolf made a quick recovery and was in hot pursuit of her again. Can I get a little break here, she cried to herself. Seriously, the frustration of getting chased for the past two days is starting to get to her. I swear if I ever get out of this hell I'm taking a year long vacation.

Out of the corner of her eye, Judy spotted an open door to one of the very few buildings that are still intact in this area of the city. She made a last second judgment call and decided to make a hard turn towards the building. She ran through the door into the apartment building and scrambled towards the nearest staircase. Her hope was to get to an open room and lock herself in. The wolf may be strong, but he can't bust his way through a solid door. Judy climbed to each floor in search of a door that was open. At this point it is her last hope; if she can't get into a room there is no way she can run any longer to stay away from the wolf. She may be in great shape, but running at nearly a full sprint for this long is taking it's toll on her and she could feel herself fading quickly.

She ran to every door and jiggled the door knob, but it wasn't until she reached the fourth floor when she finally got lucky. Halfway down the hall one of the doors was cracked open, allowing for Judy to come crashing into the room, followed by slamming the door shut and locking it. She didn't know exactly where the wolf was behind her, but she heard him the entire way up here.

Judy backed up slowly away from the door, letting out short raspy breaths, until she hit the back wall. She slid down the wall and sat down, grasping to her knees. She was about to relax, but the sound of sniffing caused her to tense up and snap her head back up towards the door. She could see the shadow of the beast from under the door, the wolf himself being just behind it. She didn't know why, but Judy started holding her breath. Maybe she was terrified that the savage would be able to hear her heartbeat if she kept breathing. The bunny prayed that the wolf would just leave her alone. Much to her surprise, it seems like her prayer was answered as she saw the wolf start to disappear. It took her a second before she started breathing again, wanting to make sure he was actually gone.

"Thank the…" she never finished her sentence. Suddenly, and without warning, the wolf cane crashing through the door with a vicious snarl. Judy couldn't even react, only stare at the predator with disbelief. How strong are these things?

Judy tried to get up and run to another room, but the wolf was quick to stop her. He lunged forwards and was able to get the rabbits backpack in between his jaws. He swung her around and threw his food up against the wall she tried to run from. He licked his lips hungrily, working up quite an appetite from chasing around this pest all day. But now the bunny had nowhere to go and he was right where he wanted her. He snapped his jaws forward, aiming for the throat.

Judy reacted quickly and did the only thing she could think to do: Judy threw her arm up to shield her neck and head, and prepared herself for pain. It started off as a little sting, but quickly turned into immense pain as the wolf sunk it's daggers into her arm. Judy yelped and let out a scream of pain; using her free paw she punched her attacker in the nose, then jabbed him in the eyes. A feeling of relief came to her as the wolf released his grip from her arm, reeling from the pain; however, the savage didn't seemed to phased by it, in fact it only seemed to make him angrier. Judy did try make another escape attempt while the wolf was temporarily incapacitated, but she didn't react quick enough. The wolf blocked her exit and growled harshly down at her. He had missed the kill shot the first time, he was not going to miss again.

Judy stared deeply into the eyes of her executer as she held onto her mangled and bloody arm. This was it, after everything she had done to survive, this is how she was going to die. She felt that if these were her last moments of life then she would muck prefer to be thinking about the better times in her life, and not about the fact that she is about to get eaten. Her first thoughts went back to her family and her home back in Bunnyburrow, remembering everything good that ever happened there. She thought back to the first time she thought of becoming a police officer, the time she spent in the academy and her graduation, the feeling she had solving her first case which brings her to her greatest memories: Nick. The fox that isn't only the best partner she could ask for, but also someone who has grown to be her best friend. These are the things she wants to be going through her head in her last moments, and in that instant Judy actually felt at peace.

"Get out of here you filthy mutt," Judy snapped open her eyes and looked up just in time to see a baseball bat connect with the side of the wolf, a few sickening cracks echoing off the walls. The wolf yelped and faced its attacker only to be struck on top of the head, getting him to collapse on the ground almost instantly.

Judy stared mouth agape at the wolf on the ground, the same one who was about to tear into her body. What the hell just happened? It took her a second to snap out of the shock and get herself to look over to who saved her. However, the animal's identify was covered by the jacket and mask he was wearing. She saw him looking down at the wolf, examining it for a moment before looking over to the injured rabbit. He stepped stepped over the savage and crouched down to Judy.

"You alright?" He asked. Judy wanted to answer, but wasn't able to. The world around her started spinning and her vision became blurry. She mumbled some things and she passed out with the stranger hovering above her.

Judy felt like she was in some horror film as she ran around, and jumped over several predators who where spazing out on the ground as they turned savage. Her mind raced with questions about the mayhem that was unfolding in front of her. Mostly she wanted to know: who was doing this, how were they doing this, and how would Zootopia react to such an attack. Predators may only take up about a tenth of the population, but there are still a lot of them, most having very violent primal instincts which is what the Nighthowlers do: send a predator into a primal rage. She wanted to find out all these things, but knew there would all have to wait. Nick is more important to her than any of those things; if he's gone she doesn't know what she'll do.

Judy had made it a little over halfway when she spotted a heavily damaged building that looked to be on the verge of collapsing. She thought to herself that this was probably another initial blast zone. The cop wanted to race in and help any survivors who might be in their, but her concern for her friend outweighed that of her police duties; though the decision to leave still wasn't an easy one to make.

It had almost become like second nature for Judy to come down these roads to Nicks apartment, it being the one of two places she goes to after work. She knew every turn and shortcut she had to make in order to get to his place, so that was the easy part. The hard part was the now savage predators getting up and starting to cause chaos. Mammals who had been watching and trying to help the predators, were now running for their lives in order to escape being eaten. Judy had to look away a few times as savages tore into their poor victims. At this point she only hoped nothing would spot her and decide that she would be on the menu.

Rounding the last corner, Judy sighed with relief seeing that Nicks building was still intact and basically unscathed in this whole ordeal; however, she couldn't celebrate just yet. She still has no idea if the Nighthowler had reached this far out. She had to prepare herself for the worst. The only thing is, she doesn't know what she would do if she did find him… She shook those thoughts out of her head. No, he's going to be fine, she tried to persuade herself.

With a deep breath, the bunny took off again down the street ready to handle whatever she would find in Nicks place. Except, those plans would have to wait. In front of the building picking herself up from off the ground was a female grizzly, and she didn't look too happy. She looked towards Judy and gave out a huff of agitation, followed by an angry growl.

"Why does this have to happen to me," she groaned. The hear charged forward at her target, then swiping down at the bunny with her massive paws. Judy easily jumped over the swipe and landed safely a few feet away. This just pissed the bear off even more. She roared furiously and swung at Judy in a furry of swipes. Luckily, Judy had trained for this; having to take a class of fighting larger mammals. Judy managed to dodge all of the swipes at her, and waited until the bear grew tired. She took this opportunity and leaped up into the air, spinning around and bringing her foot right across the bear head. The grizzly stumbled around, stunned from Judy's attack. The bunny saw this as the time to slip away. Moving passed the bear, Judy made her way into the building and began climbing the stairs.

"Hold on Nick, I'm almost there."

Judy thought of a couple words for how she felt as she regained her consciousness. However, only one covered everything, so she decided to go with 'shitty'. The bunny groaned in pain as her eyes opened. She sat up slowly from her lying down position and went to run her head, but something was limiting her movement for her right arm. She looked down at her arm and became confused to see it wrapped completely in bandages, and set in a makeshift sling made from a torn up shirt. "What the…?" She examined it for a moment, then looked out around her. That's when she started to panic.

She was in a room she did not recognize. It was a very small room, and for whatever reason, there was a fire going in the middle of it. She figured she was in a small apartment building, only being slightly bigger than her first home months city; the only difference is that the bedroom is desperate from the kitchen. The door tongue main room was closed at the moment, so she figured whoever brought her here is in there.

It took awhile for her to comprehend just how much pain she was in. Running away from savages really takes it out of tag, and Judy felt her whole body throbbing with pain and exhaustion. Then there's the bite mark imprinted in her arm that is luckily covered in bandages. I could have died, the bunny suddenly realized as she looked down at her mangled limb. If that mammal hadn't been there at that moment, the wolf would of tore her to pieces. She could only shudder at the thought. I'll have to remember to thank him, she told herself. That's all she knows about her savior, is that he is a guy. She was only able to hear the voice, indicating to her that he is male.

Eventually, the bunny grew tired of just sitting down and tempted to get up; however, she extremely underestimated just how bad of shape she is in. She gave a yelp in pain and crashed back onto the ground, luckily falling backwards to avoid any pain to her arm. As Judy heard shuffling now coming from the other room, she figured whoever was in there heard her fall. There were a few quick steps to the door and it opened revealing the last thing Judy thought she'd see.

"Glad to see your finally awake," he smiled happily over at the bunny. Judy could only look in shock and awe as in front of her stood a non-savage predator: a wolf to be precise. She continued to stare at the lupine until he grew uncomfortable and asked if she was doing okay.

"No, not really. But that's besides the point," she replied. "How are you…" she tried to look for the right words, but instead ended up just gesturing to his entire person.

"How am I not savage," he finished for her. She nodded. He chuckled as he walked towards the fire in the center of the room.

"You know," he said, poking slightly at the fire, "That's a Damn good question."


	4. Suprises

Judy looked up in shock, and slight fear, at the wolf squatting down across the fire from her. She assumed Nick wasn't the only one who had not gotten fully affected by the Nighthowler, but that only got her panicking that at any moment this guy could just go straight savage on her. The wolf noticed his guests fear and put on an amused smile.

"Don't worry I'm not gonna eat you, unless I get really hungry," he joked. That didn't really do anything to calm her nerves. "But like I said, I don't really have any idea how I wasn't affected," he shrugged as he continued to stir the embers in the fire.

"So you haven't gone savage? Not even once?" Judy inquired. The wolf shook his head, telling her he's the same mammal that he was before the day everything went wrong.

"By your reaction, I assume I'm the first non-savage you've met out here?" He presumed. Judy thought if she should mention Nick to this stranger, but she felt like she should keep that to herself. She remembers what he did to that other wolf when he saved her; she doesn't know how he'll react if she tells him about a half-savage. For all she knows he could be going around killing anything savage.

"Yah, I've been alone since day one. The only survivor I saw got eaten alive by that pack of wolves," she commented.

"Oof, what a way to go," he cringed at the mere thought of getting eaten alive; it probably isn't the greatest way to go. Suddenly, the wolves nose went up and he sniffed the air a few times. He excused himself for a second and went back into the other room. Judy watched him disappear behind the door and wondered what he was doing.

Well this day has been swell! Judy sighed as she felt her arm, pulling quickly away at the burning feeling she got from the pressure. Out of bored curiosity, the rabbit scanned around the room again, this time being a little less shaken up. At first she didn't see much of anything besides her stuff tucked in a corner, an old looking wooden chair sat a next to the fire, and… her eyes fixated on an object propped up in the comet next to the room where the wolf went in. It's been awhile since she's seen a gun outside of work. She's never liked the evil things, the thought of how much destructive power a single gun holds sends chills down her spine. It's pretty rare to see a civilian with one, especially a rifle like that. The only mammals aloud to own guns in this city were the T.U.S.K force for high risk situations. The only others who usually own guns are criminals, which raised suspicions about this wolf.

Judy shook her head, and thought to what was actually important: She needed to get going. She doesn't know how long she's been out, but she figured it's been awhile. Her plan of getting to the precinct today seemed to be torn out of the picture, now all she could think of was getting back home to Nick. Assuming that it's already almost dark, Judy knows she has to leave as soon as possible: as in now. However, remembering back to her attempt at getting up earlier there was no way she is in any shape running back to the apartment. "Damn it," Judy cursed under her breath.

"What's wrong?" Judy looked up to see the wolf coming back into room. Judy inwardly sighed, he wasn't supposed to hear that.

"It's just… I need to get back to my place," Judy told him.

"I don't think you'll be going anywhere for awhile," he told her. "Even if you weren't in this condition, it's nearly midnight and the streets are filled with savages." Judy stared at the wolf not believing him. How could it already be midnight? Was she really out for that long? Then she thought about Nick; she was supposed to be back by now and now he's there all alone. He doesn't know where she is, and she has no way of contacting him. She managed to not panic too hard, and told herself it's only one night, He'll be fine, I'll be back tomorrow and he will be fine.

"So?" Judy looked up at the wolf who was looking at her curiously, "I've been wanting to ask you this since I first saw you: what is a little bunny like you doing out here all alone?"

Judy glared up at the lupine with a frown, growing annoyed. She always hates when other animals underestimate her just because she's a bunny. It seems some things never change, not even in an apocalypse. "I was heading for the first precinct when I got ambushed by those wolves," she said with slight venom.

"The precinct? Why would you want to get there?"

"Supplies, survivors, and possible answers," she listed off as if it were obvious. "If there's anywhere with all those, it's at the precinct. I was so close too," she growled.

"Wait, wait, wait, hold on," he waved his paws through the air. He took a closer look at the bunny sitting in his camp, suddenly realizing something, "Your that bunny cop aren't you? Can't believe I didn't recognize you earlier with the amount of times I've seen you on the news. Always thought you'd be taller," he commented.

Honestly, Judy didn't know how to react to that. Mostly due to the fact that there is a certain group that don't necessarily like her due to her giving out false information about predators reverting back to their primitive ways. Though, she did take all of it back and apologize for everything, not all were willing to forgive so easily. Her hopes were he isn't one of those animals who would be willing to kill her for the stupid things she said. It would honestly be really easily, considering their in an apocalyptic wasteland where it would be super easy to kill her and not face any consequences.

"Supposed you'd be able to fend off anything this place throws at you, so how'd you end up cornered in a room about to be a snack?"

"Well, I did take out five of them with some tranque darts, but trying to take on an animal over twice my size while they are on super steroids is a situation where the odds aren't necessarily stacked in my favor. So I tried to run and eventually I got to a room and locked myself in; unfortunately, I didn't know savages could just bream through doors. The rest I bet you can probably guess." It is pretty easy to tell that Judy isn't very happy. Not getting to the precinct, getting chased down and nearly eaten, as well as not being able to get home; it was all starting to get on her nerves as the frustration built in her.

"Huh, guess you are as tough as they say," he nodded. Judy tilted her head slightly, who? She thought. Maybe he meant just what the general public says, maybe. "Yah, I saw you get chased into that apartment complex by that savage and decided to help you. Lucky I got there when I did or else that wolf would have been eaten good tonight," he chuckled. Yah, hilarious, Judy rolled her eyes. "Then I carried you here, patched you up, and waited until you got up," he stated plainly.

"Thanks, by the way, for doing that. I really do owe you. I'm Judy, Judy Hopps; though I suppose you already knew that."

"Yah, but it's still nice of you to introduce yourself," he grinned, "I'm McCabe."

"McCabe…?" Judy pressured, hoping to get a little more out of him.

"It's just McCabe," he told her. Judy nodded, wondering if there was a story behind that.

Judy pondered for awhile, scooting a little closer to the fire to get warmer. What is she going to do when the sun rises tomorrow. Should she try again and attempt to get into the precinct? Or should she head home, rest, heal, then try again another day. She knows what she wants to do: she wants to get back to Nick and make sure everything is okay with him; Ever since this whole thing happened and the whole thing with him being a bipolar savage, she's been really clingy with him. She already thought she had lost him once, going through that again might break her. However, though her heart was telling her to turn back, she knows she's way to close to back down now. If she doesn't go after it now, then who knows when her next opportunity will be. It was the most logical and smart thing to do, but there's a problem. If she has any more encounters with savages, chances of survival in her current state aren't high. But I need to get there, I just need to, she screamed in her mind, I just know I'll fine SOMETHING. The 'why' was justifiable, it's the 'how' that's pinned her to the ground. Well, I could always same for help, the bunny looked back at the wolf who had cracked open some kind of soda and was now drinking it. She's seen first-paw that McCabe is more than capable at taking out a savage, plus that gun, as much as she hates them, might be useful.

"McCabe," she spoke up, catching the dark wolves attention. "I need to ask you a favor."

"Let me guess, you want me to take you to the precinct," he said, taking another sip of his drink.

"How did you,"

"Know? You don't hide your emotions very well. Plus, it was kind of obvious," he stated matter-of-factly.

"So, is that a yes or a no?" She questioned, hoping to high heaven he would agree to help her. If he didn't, she doesn't know what to do.

McCabe stared down into the crackling flames and thought about it. He weighed his options, wondering if doing this would be worth while. It could possibly benefit him, especially if he would be able to salvage a few things. Finally, with a shrug of his shoulders, he said why not.

"Wait, so you'll take me?" She asked, her excitement rising.

"Yah, I've got nothing better to do, so I might as well get you there," he nodded. Judy smiled and felt relived that one of her problems was being solved. Hopefully getting there would also help solve a lot more of her problems, as well as answer her questions. "But might I suggest that you get some rest. You're not looking that great and some sleep would do you good." Judy didn't have any arguments there; she already felt like she was going to fall asleep at any moment.

"I think your right," she yawned out, "And thanks." McCabe smiled at her and said it wasn't that big of a deal. Well, it means a lot to me, Judy thought to herself. She leaned up against the wall behind her and closed her eyes, letting the sweet embrace of sleep overtake her.

Judy suddenly found her running up flights of stairs, hoping that she would be able to get to him in time. With everything going on around her, the thoughts going through the bunnies head aren't very pleasing. She needed to get to the fox, her determination getting her to run faster. Eventually she came to Nick's room; she scrambled for the key to the door, opening it as soon as she possibly could. The door flung open and Judy took a few steps in before coming to a halt. As she closed the door behind her, an eerie feeling crept through her body. The whole room was dark, the only light being the sun bleeding through the curtains. She nervously swallowed and took a nervous step forward.

"Nick," she said in almost a whisper. The floor freaked with every step she took which only added to the uncanny feeling she was getting. Her fur was standing on end and she could tell something wasn't right. But even with her instinct telling her to get out of there and run, she proceeded forward without caution.

"Nick?" She called out slightly louder. This time she heard a series of shuffling noises coming from Nicks bedroom. Her ears perked at attention, walking over towards the room. She pressed her ear to the door, seeing if she could hear what was going on in there. Whatever it was she heard, it stopped. Now she was a little hesitant with proceeding. Judy has no idea what's on the other side of the door. It could be her friend and partner who could possibly be in trouble, or it could be a savage animal who wouldn't think twice about tearing into her throat. In her mind, the risk of opening the door and finding out is worth anything that might happen.

She pushed the door open and took a peak in. All she saw was a bed and a pile of sheets. Her head tilted in confusion, wondering where Nick could be. Judy fully opened the door and took a full step in. She looked around for the fox, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Nick?" Judy jumped back as the sheets next to her started moving. What the hell? She thought. Nick must have gotten himself stuck in the sheets. She bent down and started digging the fox out, only to be met with a harsh reality: Nick had gone savage. As soon as she pulled off the last sheet, Judy met the eyes of a savage Nick. She remembers back at the Museum when he was only pretending; she hadn't been scared back then because she knew he was only acting. There was no acting this time, her friend has gone full savage.

Nick released a ferocious snarl, causing Judy to jump back in fright. As Nick started walking forward towards his new prey, Judy continued to back up pleading to wake up from this nightmare. Those cries would go unheard. Judy narrowly dodged an attempt Nick made at pouncing on her. He growled in frustration and clawed at her, this time catching the rabbit in her side. Judy screamed in pain, and whined as she clutched onto her now bleeding side. She saw Nick was going to go for another attack and acted quickly by doing a fast sucker punch straight to the side of his head. The fox took a few dazed steps backwards, snarling in annoyance.

"Nick, you've got to snap out of it, please!" the rabbit begged, wincing from the wound on her side. She was hoping that she would be able to break through go him. But Nick was too far gone, the affect of the drugs turning him into a totally different person.

The fox quickly recovered from the hit Judy delivered, and flipped right back around to face the trembling bunny. He walked forward again, this time making sure his food had no where to go this time as he backed her into a wall.

Judy silently cursed at herself when she felt her back press against a dresser. There was no room for her to move, the only path she could take would be right through the fox. She started preparing herself, seeing as that was the only option she could see. Of course, then she remembered something that would be her saving grace. The dresser she was backed up against, in the bottom drawer Nick kept an extra tranque gun always loaded just in case of emergencies. This was emergency enough.

Without turning around, Judy opened the drawer and began to rummage through it trying to find the famed thing. All the while, Nick took his time. He looked the bunny up and down, studying her every move. His natural instincts were to attack her and eat, but something was stopping him. A sense of familiarity came from his prey, but he didn't know what to make of it.

Judy wanted to scream with joy as she finally gripped onto the gun. She didn't let Nick get any closer as she pulled the gun out and pointed it towards the approaching savage. "Nick, please don't make me do this," she whimpered out. It pained her just pointing the gun at him, but if she had to she was going to shoot him.

Seeing the weapon drawn caused the fur on Nicks back to raise and he growled angrily. Judy saw that there was probably no way she was going to get through to him, as much as it pained her to admit, and with a lot of apprehension she pulled the trigger and let the dart fly. The dart hit with a meaty thud as it hit Nick in the shoulder, causing the fox to reel back. He looked down at the object protruding from his leg, he examined it for a moment before biting down on it and pulling it out. He turned back towards Judy, now only feeling anger towards her.

Judy's eyes grew in fear as she thought the dart didn't work. How did that not work, what the hell, she panicked. Nick took a few steps forward which soon turned into stumbling. He shook his head trying to clear his head, but the drugs in him were finally affecting him, eventually causing him to collapse to the ground. The bunny stared down at the unconscious fox, her heart pounding. Nick had only been a few feet from her when he collapsed, close enough that he could feel his breath.

When she finally realized that Nick was out cold, she collapsed next to him and began slowly crying. "Oh, Nick, why did this have to happen to you," she sobbed. She knew there is a cure for this, but with this attack being on such a massive scale she didn't know when he would be able to get it. She's unsure on a lot of things concerning the future.

"No, I'm not going to give up on him; he wouldn't on me," She told herself. She walked back over to the dresser where she got the gun and fished for the handcuffs he also kept in the drawer. She dragged the foxes body to his bed and cuffed his paws to the headboard.

Judy sat on a stool next to his bed and took a long deep breath. So much happened today, so much change in such a small amount of time. She didn't know how to cope with it all. Everything had gone to hell and she was stuck in the middle of it all. And now she has to worry about Nick and how she's going to deal with him. She needs to find the cure for him and quickly. "I'm going to find answers, Nick, I promise."

The rabbit was dragged away from her dream as she felt herself being shaken awake. She groaned and clenched her eyes shut at the soreness she was feeling.

"Guessing you aren't feeling the greatest," she heard McCabe say with slight sympathy.

"What was your first clue," she growled, finding her way to her feet. She stretched out her aching muscles to try and loosen them. The burning feeling slowly started to diminish, but not going fully away. She heard McCabe call her name and she looked up just in time to see something flying towards her. She caught the object and saw it was a granola bar.

"Eat up, we're leaving in five," he told her, disappearing into the back room. Judy quickly downed the food, realizing just how hungry she was. Luckily it was meant for a animal larger than her which made it perfect to fill her up.

After she was done eating, Judy walked over to her stuff and readied herself for the day in front of her. The only bad thing now is that her right is incapacitated at the moment; hopefully she won't have to use it any time soon in the future.

Just as Judy finished readying herself for the day, McCabe walked back out of the room wearing a completely looking outfit, including a Santana covering his muzzle.

"Uh, what's with the," she said, gesturing to his face.

"I may not be infected, but I don't want to take any chances," he stated, which actually made a lot of sense. "Alright, now that I've answered that let's get going," he said opening up the door and walking out of the apartment, Judy following him closely behind.

* * *

 **Another chapter done and over with; hope whoever is reading this story is enjoying it so far. Sorry for the slight delay, I've been slightly busy lately.**

 **Thanks to everyone who has Favorited, Followed, and commented on this story. As always I appreciate every comment and look forward to what you all have to say.**

 **Keep On Keeping On**

 **Peace Out**


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